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Pay & Leave Claim Decisions

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Office of the General Counsel

S015160

Dear Mr. [xxx]:

This concerns your letter about workers compensation benefits. It appears from your letter that you work for the United States Postal Service and you want to file a claim for workers compensation benefits, or you are dissatisfied with a decision that you received concerning your application for benefits.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) does not have any authority to settle a claim against an agency that has been given independent settlement authority under the law. Chapter 81 of title 5 of the United States Code (U.S.C.), concerns compensation for work injuries and 39 U.S.C. 1005(c) provides that Postal Service employees are covered by Chapter 81. According to 5 U.S.C. 8124 and 8128, the Department of Labor has the authority to determine whether to grant or deny claims for workers compensation. Therefore, OPM does not have the authority to settle your claim for workers compensation benefits, and you must seek relief from the Department of Labor to resolve this matter. If you desire to further pursue this matter, you should write to the Federal Employees Compensation Program, United States Department of Labor, Room S3229, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20210.